


Phase Eight

by miraculous_me



Series: Phases of Love [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), And angst, DJWifi, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 16:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10391451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculous_me/pseuds/miraculous_me
Summary: Three years after the failure of Operation Lovebirds, Alya and Nino’s relationship is tested when Alya comes across a startling secret.





	1. The Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> I blame lil_fangirl27 for this.

Alya’s head leaned over the trash can as her entire breakfast expelled from her stomach. “Fuck the zoo.” She muttered before throwing up again. She and Marinette had stopped by to deliver her father’s lunch before hanging out. Almost every time she stepped into that wretched place something terrible happened. The universe was trying to tell her something, and she had no idea what.

“You good?” Marinette patted her back.

Alya nodded. She’d been feeling ill all week, and to top it all off, Nino was out for the next couple days on a gig in London. She tried to keep herself distracted by getting a jump on wedding planning, but she couldn’t shake whatever bug she had.

“I’ll be fine.”

“We can postpone.”

“No,” Alya spat in the trashcan one last time. Marinette handed her a water bottle from her bag. Alya took a big swig. She felt a little better at least, enough to get through the afternoon. She had big news to share with her best friend, she didn’t want to wait another day to share. “I’m fine, let’s get to the restaurant, I’ll get some soup.”

The past year had been crazy for Ayla. After she and Nino decided the date and venue, Nino began booking more and more gigs to help pay for the wedding cost. Nino tried to get her to agree to marrying at the zoo where he proposed, but Alya refused to spend the happiest day of her life surrounded by animals that tried to kill her.

No. The Zoo was out.

They agreed to have the wedding at Le Grand Paris Hotel. Pricey, but with the extra gigs Nino’s been taking, the ad revenue from the Ladyblog, and the seed money her mother and father started saving when she was little, they could make work it.

Alya managed to make it to the the restaurant without throwing up on the way, but her stomach was still in knots.

The hostess seated the two outside, and handed them their menus. “The waitress will be here momentarily.”

“Thank you,” Alya nodded.

“So,” Marinette started looking through the menu, “how have you been with Nino gone?”

“It’s been a little lonely, but I can manage,” she shrugged. She and Nino finally moved in with each other a couple months ago. She spent so much time at his apartment anyway it was only a matter of time. However, since becoming a full time DJ, Nino’s sleep schedule was completely out of sync with hers. She’d go to bed at night alone, wake up with him beside her and tried not to disturb him as she got ready for the day. They managed to find time in the afternoon and evening together, but soon enough he began booking gigs outside of Paris.

Nino discussed it with her first of course, he was all too willing to turn down the opportunity to be with her, that’s just the kind of guy he was. As much as Alya missed him, she couldn’t let him give up his dream (and the money).

“I’m keeping myself busy,” she said, smiling slightly. “That being said, I have some big news.”

“Oh,” Marinette leaned forward. “Please tell.”

“I’m turning the Ladyblog into a book!”

“A book?” Marinette looked puzzled.

“Yeah, I’ve been taking to an editors and sent in a couple sample chapters and they like it!”

“Oh my God congratulations,” Marinette stood up and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” she sat back down. “What was with that first look though?”

“Well I thought it was something else…”

“Hello ladies,” a waitress with a bright red flower in her hair approached the table holding a coffee pot. “My name is Iris and I’ll be taking care of you today. Would you like to try a sample of our new house blend?”

“Sure,” Marinette said. Alya nodded. One sip of coffee wouldn’t hurt.

Iris poured a small amount into her coffee cup. The second Alya placed the cup to her lips, the scent assaulted her nose and twisted her stomach. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. She stood up, ran to the nearest trashcan and threw up.

When she finished, Alya walked slowly back to the table. Marinette and Iris’ mouths hung open. “I am so sorry,” she sat back down. “I didn’t even drink the coffee, the smell was too strong.”

The woman behind her leaned over. “When I was pregnant, I couldn’t stand the smell of coffee either.”

Alya froze.

Pregnant? No, she couldn’t be. Her last period was…

“What day is it?” she asked Marinette.

“It’s the third…”

Shit. She was three weeks late. With Nino being gone and the wedding planning stress she didn’t notice. “Shit, shit shit.”

*** 

Nino woke up in his hotel room late in the afternoon. He felt around to the other side of the bed, but no one was there. He still couldn’t get use to it. Usually he’d grab Alya’s pillow to snuggle with after she’d leave for the day. The smell of her coconut shampoo always calmed him down. Without it, he missed his fiancée more.

Nino reached for his glasses and phone to call Alya.

“Hey babe,” Alya finally picked up after several rings. There was an edge to her voice she usually had when something was wrong.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” her voice squeaked. “I’m fine.”

Liar. He knew he well enough to know her voice squeaks a bit when she lies, a tell she picked up from Marinette.

“I can cancel my last two shows and come back to Paris.” If she was missing him as much as he missed her, he’d be home in a heartbeat.

“No!” she exclaimed. “It’s only three more days, have fun and stay safe. I’m not going anywhere.”

Nino sighed. He loved that woman. She constantly encouraged him to follow his dreams and supported him one hundred percent. That’s why he wanted to give her the wedding of her dreams. “All right dear, in that case remind me what brand of shampoo you use. I need the hotel pillows to smell like you.”

Alya laughed. “You’re gross. I’ll see you in three days.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said softly.

Nino hung up and flopped back down on the bed. Three more days.

*** 

“You didn’t tell him?” Marinette asked.

“No,” she glanced down at the positive pregnancy test. “Not yet. I’ll wait till he’s home to give him the news.”

After the restaurant incident, they bought the test at the drugstore and went back to Marinette’s apartment to take the test. Fifteen minutes of pure agony later, the test came back positive. Nino called, before she could really process anything. 

Marinette kneeled down next to Alya. “Are you okay?”

Alya shook her head.

She and Nino talked about kids before. They both wanted to wait a couple years after they got married to have them. She had a plan, a timeline. Being pregnant while planning her wedding was not part of it.

“How am I going to fit into my wedding dress when I am seven months pregnant?” She burst into tears. “We already booked the venue and sent out the save the dates. Do you know how many hoops we had to jump through took us to get that date? The next opening won’t be for another year. At that point I’ll have an infant at the wedding and–” she stopped.

“Alya, what’s wrong,” her friend asked.

“Marinette,” she wiped the tears from her eyes “I’m going to be a mom.”

“Congratulations,” Marinette squeezed her tight.

“Thanks girl. I should get home though. I’m exhausted.”

“Of course,” Marinette let go. “Do you want me to walk with you?”

“No thanks,” she shook her head. “I need some time to myself. We’ll talk soon.”

Marinette walked her to the door, giving her one final hug before she left. “Congrats again,” she kissed her forehead.

Alya strolled down the street leisurely, mentally planning the next step. Telling Nino. He’d be thrilled of course, but his career was finally taking off. He’d want to give up traveling to take care of her and the baby. She wanted him to succeed, but having him home more often would best.

Alya’s phone beeped a few minutes later. Akuma attack a couple blocks away. She might be able to get there in time. As people began to clear away, Alya sprinted down the street to the source of the attack.

She ducked behind a car, out of the akuma’s sight. “I am Coffee Queen,” the akuma shouted. Alya’s eyes trained on the bright red flower in her hair.

Iris, the waitress. She must have been having a really bad day.

Before she could get any closer to film, Ladybug’s yo-yo wrapped around her arm. “What the are you doing out here,” Ladybug snapped.

“I’m doing my job,” she said, trying to set herself free of the magical string.

“Go home Alya, this is too dangerous. I can’t have you running out in the middle of akuma attacks anymore!”

“Why not!”

“Because you’re pregnant!” Ladybug’s eyes grew wide when she realized what she said. Her hand quickly covered her mouth.

“Marinette?”


	2. The Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pregnancy shenanigans ensue

“Six years,” Alya muttered as she paced back and forth in her living room. She still tried to process the new nuggets of information she learned in the past two hours. Lady–Marinette told her to go home, promising her she’d explain everything after she defeated the akuma.

There wasn’t much to explain. Marinette was the only person who knew she was pregnant. Ladybug couldn’t have possibly learned about it within the ten minutes after leaving Marinette’s apartment and the akuma attack.

The facts were clear as day. Marinette, her best friend, and her idol Ladybug were the same person.

Alya’s doorbell buzzed. She took a deep breath to calm her down. Marinette had to have a good reason for keeping this from her for so long. She had to handle this situation delicately.

She unlocked the door, Marinette stood in front of her with a box of pastries from her family’s bakery. “Talk,” Alya pointed to the couch.

Marinette placed the box on the coffee table and opened it. “Macaron?“

“Don’t try to soften me up with sweets, Marinette. Especially since I can’t keep anything down these days. Talk.”

“Sorry.” She closed the box. Alya crossed her arms over her chest. “I guess you’ve been waiting on an explanation for a while now…”

“Six years Marinette.”

“All right,” she took a deep breath. ‘’You can’ tell anyone about this. It can’t go on the Ladyblog or your book, you understand?”

Alya nodded.

“Six years ago, I received a box with a magical pair of earrings and a kwami named Tikki.”

“What’s a kwami?”

A giant red bug flew out of Marinette’s purse. “Hello Alya, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“THE FUCK IS THAT?”

“She’s Tikki, my kwami. She and the miraculous join together to transform me into Ladybug.”

Alya stared at the red bug, her big blue eyes didn’t blink once. “This is insane.”

“You wanted the truth,” Marinette said. “Are you still mad?”

“I don’t know what I am,” Alya plopped down on the couch next to Marinette. “I’m just confused and a little hurt. Where you ever going to tell me?”

“Honestly, no. I wanted to, believe me I did. But I couldn’t tell anyone, not even Chat Noir. It was too dangerous to let anyone know our identities, especially civilians.”

“I get it,” Alya sighed. “You wanted to keep us safe. I spent six years of my life trying to uncover Ladybug’s identity and she was sitting right next to me in class. I’m an idiot.”

It all made sense now. The random disappearances, the flakiness, showing up late to class, all because her best friend was out there saving Paris with a magical yo-yo and a cat boy.

“Wait.” Another realization clicked in Alya’s head. “If you’re Ladybug… then Adrien is Chat Noir!”

“I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out,” Marinette laughed sheepishly.

“I thought Ladybug and Chat Noir were just secretly dating, I had no idea the were married!”

*** 

“I think Marinette is pregnant!” Adrien shouted over the phone. Nino’s best friend was in full out panic mode. Nino just got out of the shower and saw he missed four calls and five texts from Adrien asking him to call him back ASAP. The second he picked up the phone Adrien began speaking in coherent sentences. Nino was just able to pick up the last phrase.

“Slow down,” Nino tried to calm his friend. “Start from the beginning.”

“I got home after an akuma attack and I found a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom. I think Marinette’s pregnant.”

“Well, that’s some pretty solid evidence.” Nino put his cell on speaker phone and dropped it on the bed. “Congrats dude.”

“I don’t know why she hasn’t told me yet,” he said. “Is she scared? Does she need to confirm with a doctor first? I don’t know how these things work. I have no idea where she is!”

“Breathe Adrien. She’s going through a lot right now, she’ll tell you when she’s ready. Either way this is exciting dude.”

“You’re right,” Adrien paused. “I’m going to be a dad.”

“Have you and Marinette talked about children?”

“We did, early on. But we decided to wait until it was safe.”

“Safe?”

“Uh… you know, with Hawkmoth still out there, and all the akuma attacks, we didn’t want to put our future child in danger.”

“As long as Marinette isn’t running straight into danger I think you’re good,” he chuckled. “Alya on the other hand, I’d have to drag away every time there’s an attack.”

“Yeah…” Adrien muttered. “I’m scared Nino.”

“Adrien, you are the kindest most caring person I know. You will be a great father.”

“Thanks,” he said softly. “Wait, I have another call coming in, hold on.”

Nino continued to get dressed. He was a little jealous. Adrien and Marinette started dating at the same time as he and Alya. Despite taking forever to get together, their relationship moved pretty fast. They got engaged within their first year of dating and tied the knot six months later. Now they’re bringing a baby into the picture?

Nino and Alya had a brief conversation about children. But with his traveling and her thirst for danger, they decided to wait a few years. He loved kids and he knew Alya was great with children, one day they’ll be ready. For now, they’ll just spoil Adrien and Marinette’s future child.

“I’m back,” Adrien said. “That was Marinette. She’s spending the night at Alya’s, what does that mean? Does Alya know before I do?”

“I don’t know.” Alya did sound weird on the phone earlier. Was she with Marinette when she took the test?

“Can you ask her?”

“No fucking way,” Nino protested. “It’s like, against girl code or something like that.”

“What about bro code?”

“I think in this case, girl code overrules bro code.”

“Damn.”

“Don’t worry. She will tell you. It’s not like she can keep it from you forever. Just don’t do anything rash.”

“Nino, I already ordered five books and a stroller while we were talking.”

“Oh boy,” he sighed. “Stay strong my friend. I have to get ready for my show.”

“Talk to you soon,” Adrien hung up.

Nino finished getting ready for his gig. One more after this and he was back home with Alya. Maybe by then Marinette will share the news and Alya will spill every detail. But for now, he had just get through the night.

Nino’s phone rang again as he was getting into the cab on his way to the club. “Hello,” he answered after one ring.

“Nino, my man it’s Pierre. I got some exciting news.” Nino’s manager said. “You’re going to want to sit down for this.” Since signing on with Pierre as his manager, Nino’s DJ career reached new heights. He was able to book gigs at large nightclubs all over the country. He had Pierre to thank for his London debut.

“I’m in a cab, what’s up?”

“An up and coming American DJ and his agent saw your set the other night. They want you to be the opening act of his US tour.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell at me on tumblr [http://miraculoussideblog.tumblr.com/]()


	3. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya and Nino are reunited, both with news to share.

Alya stood waiting at Orly Airport holding a hastily put together “Welcome Home Nino.” She had no idea why he decided to book a new flight a day early, but honestly, she was relieved. The sooner she could she could get the news about the baby off her chest the better. She didn’t have the time or the energy to arrange a surprise or anything like that. She’d tell him over lunch.

At the top of the escalator, Alya spotting Nino descending. Her stomach did flip flops, and not from the morning sickness. Almost two weeks apart was too long. Somehow he became more attractive. Maybe it was the distance, but he seemed taller.He let his stubble grow out more than usual. Not matter what he looked like he was the man she fell in love with three years ago.

Nino hurried down the escalator to embrace her. “God I’ve missed you.” Nino pressed his face against Alya’s hair and inhaled deeply.

“Are you sniffing me?”

“Let me have this,” he muttered against her hair.

“Dork,” she chuckled. This felt right. Warm and safe, like the two of them can take on anything. “Nino I-”

“We have to go.” Nino released her from his embrace and took hold of her hand.

“What? Where? I thought we could go grab lunch and catch up.”

“I promised Adrien I’d be at his place before noon.” Nino headed towards the exit. “We can grab dinner later, I’ll take you to your favorite sushi place.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…” Alya’s stomach could barely handle coffee, raw fish + pregnancy = a world of pain. “Why are we going to the Agreste’s?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Nino hailed a cab for the two of them to get in. Alya plan could wait a couple hours. She scooted to the middle seat next to Nino and snuggled. They could be a normal couple for a little while longer.

“Babe,” she looked up. “It’s been five minutes and you still haven’t kissed me.”

“We’re not making out in the back of a cab.”

“We’ve made out in worse places.”

“Like where?”

“The zoo.”

“I should have seen that one coming.” Nino leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. His stubble tickled her chin. Seconds later he pulled back. “Is that enough to satisfy your needs.”

“Babe you’ve been gone for two weeks. Mama needs her smooches.” She pulled Nino in for a deeper kiss. Boy did she miss this. His lips temporarily melted all her troubles away. He tasted sweeter than usual, probably from complimentary cookies on the plane. Nino began trailing her neck with tiny kisses. “Never leave me for that long again.”

Nino paused. He straighten up, cupped her face, and looked her straight in the eyes. “Never.” Nino pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“All right lovebirds,” the cabbie said. “We're here.”

“Thanks.” Nino said as they broke away. He paid the driver and helped Alya out of the car. She wrapped her arms around his waist as they made their way up to the apartment.

Adrien opened the door. “You’re late.”

“Sorry,” Nino said.

“Hurry, get inside.”

The second Alya walked in she saw a large sign hanging over the back wall of the apartment with the word “CONGRATULATIONS” spelled out in bottles. In fact the whole apartment was covered in baby themed decoration. A large pile of parenting books were stacked on top of the table next to a cake that read “It’s a baby!” in pink and blue letters. 

“What the hell is this?”

“I know it’s a little much-”

“You think?” Alya froze. He know. Nino knew she was pregnant. But how? She swore Marinette to secrecy, who could have told him? “You knew?”

“Adrien found the pregnancy test in the bathroom…”

“Shit.” She muttered. “I’m so sorry, I should have told you sooner.”

“No worries, I know the deal. Girl code and everything.”

“Girl code?”

“She’s coming!” Adrien shouted and shut off the lights. “Everyone hide.”

“Why are we hiding?”

Nino pulled Alya down behind the couch. The door opened. Marinette stepped in. “Hello?”

Adrien turned on the lights. “Surprise!” he and Nino shouted.

Alya eyes darted to Marinette’s who was still in shock. She slowly put the pieces together. “Fuck.”

*** 

Nino smiled and looked down at Alya. All the color was drained from her face. “What’s wrong?”

“This…is a surprise party…for Marinette?”

“I told Adrien not to do anything rash, but you know Adrien.”

“He thinks she’s pregnant…”

“Like I said he found the test in the trash can. He wanted us to be here for this moment. Isn’t it great? We get to be aunt and uncle.”

“Yay,” she muttered.

Nino looked at her, confused. She knew about the baby, but why was she acting so surprised? Wasn’t she happy for Marinette? When Adrien called asking if he could get back a day early for the surprise party, he knew it was a bad idea. But being the good friend that he was, he came anyway. Marinette did not look happy at all. He was positive she wanted to keep this moment private and tell Adrien on her own terms. He loved his best friend, but man was he dense sometimes.

Nino’s phone beeped. The Akuma attack app. It’s been two weeks since he’s seen one. “Akuma attack a few blocks from here.” Alya seemed unfazed. She usually jumps at the opportunity to film them. As much as he hated her putting herself in danger, nothing in the world could stop her.

“I’m sorry guys,” Marinette said. “I have to go. My parents needs me at the bakery for a flour emergency”

“I don’t think you should go.” Adrien took hold her her arm. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I can handle a flour emergency.”

“Can you in your condition?” He glanced down at her belly.

Marinette glared at Alya. “I’m fine. How about you come with me and to help with the flour emergency like you always do. We’ll talk afterwards.”

“Just go,” Alya said. “Adrien, let her go, I promise she’ll be fine.”

“What?” Adrien looked puzzled.

“I’ll explain everything.” Marinette pulled Adrien to the door. “We’ll be back soon. Hang tight.”

“Aren’t you going?” Nino asked Alya.

“To the flour emergency? No.”

“I mean to the akuma attack.”

“Oh,” she smirked. “Not today. Let’s catch up.” She sat down on the couch.

“Okay,” he snuggled up next to her. “How is your book going?”

“Great actually, I’ve officially signed the contract. And I scored an in person interview with Ladybug.”

“That’s fantastic.” he kissed the top of her head. He knew Alya would go above and beyond the call of duty.

“The deadline is just after the wedding, but I’m sure I can handle it.” She intertwined her fingers in his. “The plus side is, I’m going to be getting a big fat advance soon.”

“Can we put some of that towards our honeymoon? Maybe we could do a cruise?”

Alya stiffened. “We’ll see.” She leaned in closer. “What about you? How did your last show go?”

“It went great, the club was packed.” Nino paused. He wanted to wait until dinner to tell Alya about his offer. He alway ran everything by Alya before accepting, but now was as good a time as any. “Pierre called the other day. He said an up and coming American DJ saw my show and wants me to open for his US tour.”

“America?”

“Yeah, it’s scheduled for couple months after the wedding, so we won’t have to worry about me leaving again before then.”

Alya stood up. “Absolutely not.” 

Nino stared at Alya with his mouth agape. She was usually so understanding and supportive. She never shut him down this quickly before listing the pros and cons. “You didn’t let me finish-”

“You can’t go to the America.”

“Alya listen, the tour is for six months. There is no way on God’s green Earth I’m leaving you in Paris for that long. I want you to come with me.”

“What?”

“We’re young, we’re unattached. Sure, we’ll probably miss seeing Marinette and Adrien’s baby all that time, but I’m sure we can live vicariously through pictures for the first six months. This is a huge opportunity, for me, for us. You always said you wanted to go to New York City to see Hamilton.”

“Nino, we can’t.”

“They might be a little pricey, but I’m sure we can get Hamilton tickets eight months in advance…”

“No Nino, we can’t go to America,” she cried. Tears streamed down her face. “I’m sorry, but we can’t go. You can’t go.”

“What about the pros and cons? Alya, what’s going on?”

“I–I–” she stuttered. “I need some time to think.” Alya pushed passed him and ran out the door. Leaving Nino alone with a strange sense of déjà vu.


	4. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino makes not one, but two shocking discoveries.

Nino couldn’t move. He sat silently for twenty minutes going over their argument in his head. Knowing Alya, all she needed was a little space and an apology, but he had no idea what to apologize for. She was being the irrational one. RIght? He supported her through everything from University, her internship, and every near death experience she had interfering with an akuma attack. Going to America was a great opportunity for the both of them. 

It was only six months, what could possibly keep her here?

He needed some air to clear his head. Nino opened the window. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood on the fire escape in heavy make out mode.

“What the-”

The superheroes’ attention snapped towards Nino. A half a second later, a green and pink glow surrounded Chat Noir and Ladybug, Adrien and Marinette stood in their place.

“Whoa.”

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Adrien said.

“It looks like you and Marinette are Chat Noir and Ladybug.”

“Okay, this is exactly what it looks like.” Adrien glanced over at his wife. “Sorry M’lady. I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”

Marinette groaned. “You used that line three years ago, you got to come up with better material.”

“Um,” Nino glanced back and forth between his friends. He took a second to process the information. His best friends were Paris’ heroes. That explained their flakiness and random disappearances. They had to keep their identities a secret from their loved ones to keep them safe. It’s Superhero 101. He could accept that.

With all the craziness that happened today, this was the least surprising.

“We can explain.” Adrien said as he helped Marinette through the window.

“No need,” Nino raised his hand. “You had secret identities to protect. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you Nino,” Adrien placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I wanted to tell you for so long.”

“Now Alya won’t have to keep this a secret from you.”

“Alya knew?” Nino and Adrien said in unison.

“Sorry, kitty, I was going to tell you, but things have been a little hectic.”

“Wait wait, how long has Alya known?” Nino asked. Maybe this was keeping her here. If Marinette was Ladybug and pregnant, Alya would want to be with her friend through all of it. Taking care of the baby during akuma attacks and what not. Still, maybe Marinette could persuade her to go on tour with him.

“Just a couple days. It’s not really something she could tell on the phone.” She looked around.. “Where is Alya anyway?”

“She stormed out not too long after you left.” Nino walked to the couch and sat down. “I told her I got an offer to tour the US and she flipped out.”

Marinette glacned at Adrien and then back to Nino. “Did she tell you why?”

“No,” Nino shook his head.

“Classic Alya,” Adrien muttered. Marinette elbowed him in the stomach.

“I don’t understand what the big deal is. I asked her to come with me, and she shut me down. Hopefully, she’ll come around though. I can’t do another long stretch of time without her.” Nino stood up. “I should find her. Congratulations on the baby by the way. Sorry your party was a bust.”

“Uh,” Adrien scratched the back of his head. “Actually, Marinette’s not pregnant.”

“What do you mean? You found the test… Nino’s voice trailed off. If Marinette wasn’t pregnant. “Oh shit. I got to go.”

*** 

Alya sat in front of the hippopotamus fountain at the zoo, picking at the ball of cotton candy she bought. She didn’t know why she decided to come here of all places. But she couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. Some of her best and worst memories with Nino were here, this was just another one to add to the bank.

This was completely her fault. This time she had to apologize. She shut down when he told her about the tour. All she could think of was him disappearing to some foreign country for six months while she a newborn on her own. The idea of raising this child without Nino freaked her out. She didn’t even tell him she was pregnant. If she would have said the words, their conversation would have gone differently.

She’d have to face the music sooner or later. Maybe they could make it work, Nino worked so hard to get to where he is today passing up this opportunity would put him several steps back.

The cotton candy, didn’t sit well. she headed straight for the trash can to empty her stomach. “Fucking great,” she muttered.

“Here,” Nino’s voice said from above. Alya lifted her head up to see Nino holding out a tissue. She took it from his hand and wiped her lips. “Feeling better?”

Alya nodded. They sat back down on the bench. Nino handed her a piece of gum, she popped it in her mouth. It was now or never.

“I know you’ve been keeping a secret from me,” he took her hand.

“I’m so sorry babe, I wanted to tell you, but it wasn’t the right time.”

“I know.” He kissed her cheek. “But I don’t think Marinette would appreciate you revealing her and Adrien’s identities.”

“Wait what?” This threw Alya for a loop. He thought she was hiding that? Well, she was, but it was the least of their problems. “How did you find out?”

“I caught Adrien and Mari making out on the fire escape and their transformations dropped.”

Alya busted out laughing. “How did they manage to keep their identities a secret for six years?”

“Beats me.” He gently leaned his head on her shoulder. “It’s weird, thinking about our best friends running around in magic spandex protecting the city from evil.”

“And we tried to kill them.”

“Oh my God we did.”

“Babe,” Alya sighed. It was time. “Mari’s not pregnant, I am.”

“I know.” Nino kissed the top of her head.

She buried her face in the crook of htis neck. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I wanted to wait to tell you in person, but then you dragged me to that party and the shit hit the fan.”

“Alya, Alya,” he tried to calm her down. “We need to talk about this, like adults.”

“Of course,” she nodded. “I think we can make this work, once you get the tour schedule. It could get pricey, but if you have longer breaks, you can fly back. I can’t fly with the baby for a few months, but if when we can, I will visit you. I want to be their for you.”

“Alya,” Nino took her face between his hands. “I’m not going on tour.”

“But it’s such a big opportunity. This could boost your career.”

“My career can wait. If I go on tour I will never get the opportunity to be watch our newborn grow week by week. I’ll never get the opportunity to hold them when they’re small. I’ll miss singing them to sleep every night. When I get off the road, I’ll be a stranger to our baby. I don’t want that. I want to be here, in Paris with you raising our child. Together.”

“I want you to be there for those moments too.”She squeezed him tighter. “I thought I was being selfish for wanting you to stay.”

“Don’t you ever think that for a second. You are not holding me back. You make a better man everyday. I could think of nothing better than starting a family with you..”

“Family,” Alya smiled. “I like the sound of that. Do you think we’ll make good parents? ”

“We’ll, it’s mother is a smart and sexy journalist. It’s father a sick DJ. Plus it’s aunt and uncle are freaking superheroes. We’re going to have a badass baby.” He kissed her softly. 

“Oh god, I haven’t told my parents.” She covered her face. “And the wedding, I’ll be the size of a blimp on our wedding day. No matter what dress Marinette makes me, there’s no guarantee it will fit right.”

“Alya, calm down. We’ll take this one step at a time. You and me together, we can do anything.” Nino kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer. Alya’s troubles melted away in his embrace. 

"I love you,” she whispered against his lips.

“I love you too.”

Their friends may be superheroes, but with Nino by her side, they were invincible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: The Epilogue


	5. The Epilogue

Three Months Later

Alya sat at her desk transcribing her last interview with Marinette and Adrien before sending a draft into her editor. The book finally started to shape up nicely. Postponing the wedding until after the baby was born gave her more time to focus on her writing. She joked about eloping several time over past few weeks, but the down payment on Le Grand Paris Hotel was non refundable. Moving the wedding to a later date made more sense.

Her phone rang, Alya tore her eyes away from the screen and looked at her phone. It was Marinette. 

“What’s up?”

“Alya,” Marinette said, panicked. “There’s an akuma attack at the zoo."

“Huh, I didn’t get an alert.” She checked her phone. The akuma attack app had nothing on the radar.

“Uh…it just happened…like right now, hurry.”

Something was off. If there was an akuma attack, Marinette would immediately transform into Ladybug, not make a phone call. The akuma attack app usually reports within minutes of the first sighting. And lastly, Marinette hated when Alya showed up to the battles, now more than ever. This just didn’t sit well with her.

“Why are you telling me? I remember you saying and I quote ‘I can’t have your pregnant ass running around Paris while some weirdo is shooting laser and transforming people into God knows what.”

Marinette paused. “I never said that.”

“I’m paraphrasing,” she shrugged. “Spill.”

“Uh, you know I’m terrible at keeping secrets.”

“True,” she agreed. Though, Marinette did keep the Ladybug secret hidden from her for six years.

“Just get to the zoo, now.” Marinette hung up.

Alya sighed and closed her laptop. Whatever was waiting for her at the zoo could not be good.

Locked up and made her way to the zoo. The app still hadn’t sent a notification. She searched all of the news sources on her phone, and…nothing. Something was definitely wrong. No one was running and screaming. No tackily dressed supervillain shouted from the mountain tops their intention. Actually, the closer she got to the zoo, the less people she saw. She walked up to the gate, there was no one in sight. Alya tried to call Marinette, but she wouldn’t answer.

There was no akuma attack, why was she sent here?

“Alya?” A voice called. Nino jogged towards her. He looked nicer than usual. He wore a white button down shirt, very well fitting blue dress pants. Wait were they tailored?

“Nino,” she said once he was closer, “what’s going on?”

“Come with me,” he took her hand and led her forward.

“What’s going on? Why are your pants so nice?”

“It’s a surprise follow me.”

“I hate surprises,” Alya pouted. The zoo was completely deserted for a Sunday afternoon. Whatever Nino and Marinette were planning it they couldn’t have done it alone. Her Dad had to be involved.

Nino stopped in front of Lady’s cage. He let go of her hand and smiled.

“Talk,” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And don’t give me that stupid look. Where is everyone? Why did Marinette lie to get me here. And the zoo of all pla–” Nino cut her off with a short kiss. “Okay, now you got my attention.”

“Good,” he snapped his fingers. La Vie en Rose played on the loud speakers. Nino got down on one knee and took Alya’s hands into his. “Alya will you marry me?”

“Babe, we’re already getting married.” Alya chucked. She tried to help him up but he wouldn’t budge.

“No, will you marry me right now? I don’t want to wait another day, week or month. Honestly, I can’t even wait another hour. Let’s do this.”

“You’re insane,” she rolled her eyes. “We can’t elope now, families will kill us.”

“Actually,” A voice said from behind her Marinette stood behind her holding a large garment bag. “You won’t technically be eloping. You’re family is here. All you need is the dress.”

Alya turned on her heels. They were dead serious. “You planned a surprise wedding without me?”

Nino smiled. “You always like my grand gestures. And I thought, why not take a shot in the dark. You did say you wanted to elope.” 

“Nino…” Alya began to cry. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones taking control, but she could not stop wailing. Her thoughts were clouded by her emotions. She could barely get out a coherent sentence, babbling on and on about the “fucking zoo” and “fifteen hundred Euros.” She pressed her head against Nino’s shoulder.

“Did I go too far?” Nino patted her back. “We can send everyone home, no pressure. I just thought–” Alya cut him off with a kiss. “Oh. So you do like it?”

Alya wiped her tears. “We are still having a wedding at the Grand Paris Hotel eventually. I am not losing that down payment. But, if I had to wait another day, week or month, I would have dragged you to the courthouse myself.”

“Oh thank God,” Nino exhaled. “I was worried for a second.”

“You know,” Alya wrapped her arms around Nino’s neck. “I’m getting tired of this fucking song.” She kissed his nose. “If this plays at our son’s birth, I will strangle you with the umbilical cord.”

He pressed his forehead against hers. “Aww, I’ll change your birthing playlist.”

“Come on lovebirds, break it up.” Adrien’s voice said from behind. He appeared next to Marinette wearing a very expensive looking suit. “We have twenty five guest wondering if this wedding is even happening and Alya’s father is ready to throw Nino in the panther caged if it doesn’t happen.”

“Tell everybody to hold their horses,” Alya said. “The wedding is on.”

*** 

Marinette whisked Alya away for over two hours to get ready for the ceremony. Nino assured the guest, and himself, that she was still coming. The surprise wedding was one of his most reckless decisions in their relationship, but he was glad it paid off. 

The wedding march began to play.

It was time.

Do to it’s last minute nature, there was no real wedding party, just Marinette and Adrien. They walked down the aisle first, looking disgustingly adorable as always. They took their places at their respective side of alter. The wedding guest stood up.

Alya walked down the aisle with her arm looped around her father. She was a vision in white. The dress Marinette made was gorgeous. The empire waist dress didn’t hide her pregnant belly. The white chiffon gently flowed over it. Under the bust was a light silver trim, that accentuated her now much larger breasts. How their friend made a dress for her without knowing proper measurements was beyond him. Luck was just on her side. 

Alya and Otis stopped in front of the alter. He kissed her cheek, before giving Nino a subtle nod.

This was it.

He lifted her veil. Alya slowly looked up at Nino. This was the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

The minister started with a few words about marriage. Nino could hardly pay attention, was lost in her eyes.

“Now, I believe the bride and groom wrote their own vows.”

Vows?

What? This was supposed to be a standard. “Do you take person to be your lawful wedded whatever mumbo jumbo.” He didn’t write vows.

“I’ll start,” Alya pulled a piece of paper out of her breast and winked. “Oh I’m sorry, are you unprepared?”

“You didn’t…”

“Payback’s a bitch, babe.” She glanced over at the minister. “Sorry.” She took a deep breath and unfolded the paper. “Six years ago, at this very zoo, a scared fifteen year old girl was locked in a cage with a boy she thought of only as a friend. Three years ago, she convinced the same boy to pretend to date her to bring their best friends together. After a series of almost comical events and a few life lessons, she’s standing before that boy in front of God, their friends, family and a bunch of smelly animals. Everything happens for a reason. I never thought that afternoon at the zoo would trigger a chain reaction that would bring us back here…to the zoo. But…I’m glad it did.” Alya took his left hand a slipped a wedding band on his finger. “With this ring, I promise to love you and stand by your side for the rest of our lives. To take care of our son, in sickness and in health. We are stronger together. I love you.”

Nino wiped the tears rolling down his face. Damn she was good.

“Nino,” the minister looked over at him. Adrien tapped his shoulder and handed him the ring.

Shit.

“Alya, you know I’m not good at improvising. You put me on the spot.” Nino took a deep breath. “But, I guess I deserve it for…this.” The guests chuckled. “I’ve been in love with you for six years. Even when I didn’t acknowledge it, there was a part of my heart that belonged to you. Now you have all of my heart, and I have yours.” Nino slipped the ring on Alya’s finger and kissed it. “With this ring. I promise to be the best husband and father I could be. I will love you and for the rest of our days and fight by your side no matter what. I love you.”

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the groom.”

“What?”

Before Nino could say anything else, Alya dipped him backwards and planted one on him. Camera flashed like crazy. Nino closed his eyes and kissed her back. She pulled him back up. “Phase eight, complete.”

“Now,” the minister announced. “I present to you for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Césaire-Lahiffe.”

“So,” Nino kiss Alya’s temple, “what’s phase nine?”

Alya took Nino’s hand and placed it on her belly. “I guess we’ll find out soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for following these two on their crazy adventure. 
> 
> Come find me on tumblr at [http://miraculoussideblog.tumblr.com/]()

**Author's Note:**

> Whoop, there it is.  
> Shout out to Google and my cookies for thinking that I'm pregnant and getting married.


End file.
